Haine & Smith help dementia patients at Great Western Hospital
Optometric Partner, Mark Saunders, recently handed over a cheque for £400 to the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Brighter Futures appeal to help purchase dementia-friendly clocks to assist its patients. The charity aims to raise vital funds to improve care for patients living with dementia who have a stay in hospital. One of their current appeals is to raise £25,000 to install more than 300 new clocks all around the hospital and Swindon Intermediate Care Centre. These specialist clocks will help people to differentiate between night and day and keep track of time, which can help reduce confusion and anxiety.
“We are so grateful to Haine & Smith Charitable Trust for their wonderful donation to Brighter Futures’ new Dementia Appeal! The appeal will fund improvements to the hospital environment at Great Western Hospital and this gift will help us introduce ten dementia-friendly clocks to make life easier for our patients”, says Jane Leighton, Major Gifts Manager at Brighter Futures.
There are two different clocks to be installed around the hospital. £40 will fund one of 210 small clocks required and £115 will purchase one of 143 large clocks. These display the time, date and month and having this familiarity has been shown to help patients maintain a routine which can easily be disrupted in the hospital environment.
Mark said: “We are so pleased to have been able to support Brighter Futures, albeit in a small way. The clocks are a fantastic idea and will give comfort and confidence to those in hospital living with dementia – and indeed, all patients, I’m sure. We wish Jane and her team at Brighter Futures all the best in reaching their target on this excellent project.”